Graham Mitchell wrote:
Why should that make any difference? The flash sync speed is determined by the time interval between the first curtain being fully open and the second curtain starting to close.The flash sync is determined biy the curtains and the speed the flash can react, maybe Nikon is sure that it's own flashes do that and not sure about randowm choosen ones.

fwiw, i shoot with the D800 and a mixture of PCB Einsteins and WL X3200s with the newer CyberSync/Commander and the other day while i was waiting on a client to show up, i just did a quick run through with the sync speeds.

HIGHLY unscientific, but i like to shoot at 1/160th in my studio bc previously with another trigger i saw edge darkening at higher speeds. i saw that also with my new setup and X3200. there was a little darkening at 1/200th and even more at 1/250th.

if i remember correctly, i saw the black line start to creep in above 1/250th.

again, let me emphasize i was just messing around, killing time, and not running through any variables, like trying this with the newer Einstein units OR syncing to one of them with an actual cord.

im sure there are lots of variables that could go into everything, but thats been my limited experience. hope it helps some

I'm happy to say that's not true. I got my D800 today and I'm putting it through its paces. 1/320 worked fine with my Profoto Pro 7A, and in fact 1/400 only lost the bottom 5-10% of the image to the shutter so 1/400 would be useable in a pinch. Just zoom out a little. You have pixels to spare with the D800. Not too bad. I still wish for 1/500 flash sync on a DSLR!

Graham Mitchell wrote:
I'm happy to say that's not true. I got my D800 today and I'm putting it through its paces. 1/320 worked fine with my Profoto Pro 7A, and in fact 1/400 only lost the bottom 5-10% of the image to the shutter so 1/400 would be useable in a pinch. Just zoom out a little. You have pixels to spare with the D800. Not too bad. I still wish for 1/500 flash sync on a DSLR!

I use a mini TT1 transmitter with my Profoto 7B's and get a clean 1/1000 after playing with the hypersync setup

Some of the good results at higher shutter speeds may be related to flash duration. A slightly longer flash duration (generally at higher flash power settings) will sometimes mask the fact that the shutter isn't actually fully open all at the same time. If you've got a combination that works, great -- but I would assume Nikon's spec is conservatively based on the shortest amount of time when they know conclusively that the entire frame will be exposed.

spxxxx wrote:
I use a mini TT1 transmitter with my Profoto 7B's and get a clean 1/1000 after playing with the hypersync setup

Not sure how that works. I assume the flash duration on the 7B is a lot slower, actually longer than 1/1000 so it acts as a continuous light? Am I on the right track? And in that case, you'd be limited to more powerful settings, which have longer durations? If that's how you do it, then how do you do the 'hypersync' setup?

Graham Mitchell wrote:
Why should that make any difference? The flash sync speed is determined by the time interval between the first curtain being fully open and the second curtain starting to close.

Not quite true. There is also an allowance in there for the flash to deliver its light output while the shutter is fully open. On some flash units the duration of the flash pulse is longer or shorter than on others, and it can take more or less time before it happens or before the peak of the output happens. The wrong combination means that a slower effective sync speed is needed in some cases or that even if uniform lighting is achieved it will not be as bright at the maximum sync speed as it will be at a slower shutter speed that captures the entire light pulse.

Graham Mitchell wrote:
Not sure how that works. I assume the flash duration on the 7B is a lot slower, actually longer than 1/1000 so it acts as a continuous light? Am I on the right track? And in that case, you'd be limited to more powerful settings, which have longer durations? If that's how you do it, then how do you do the 'hypersync' setup?

I'm not familiar with those lights but it probably works just like the speed lights - lots of very short lower power flashes occurring over a period long enough to evenly illuminate the rolling shutter gap across the whole image frame. These high speed sync modes reduce the maximum light intensity and reduce the effective range of the flash, so sometimes you're better off with slow synch mode.

From what I understand the 1/250 sync speed has been around for a while. Is this regarded as a negative by working pros/enthusiasts? Is it a good thing or just "the way it is" and no one really thinks about it much?

derek.fulmer wrote:
From what I understand the 1/250 sync speed has been around for a while. Is this regarded as a negative by working pros/enthusiasts? Is it a good thing or just "the way it is" and no one really thinks about it much?

my understanding is that its the high end of normal, if that makes any sense...for focal plane shutters anyway. im sure there is something faster out there.

in studio type situations, i dont think its really a big deal one way or the other, but when you want to get into situations where you want to over power the sun, sync speed becomes a very big deal, especially if you want to use an f/stop that is relatively wide open and without using something like a ND filter.

aside from the bigger sensor and massive resolution, leaf shutter lenses are one of the BIG attractions of medium format digital. these can sync from anywhere from 1/800th to even 1/1600 on some of the newer phase one back/body combos.

again, that is referring to pack/head strobes or monolights...not speedlights, which can "pulse" to sync at very high speeds, but at the expense of overall power.

not to hijack this thread, but i totally wish someone would make an adapter for us to use leaf shutter lenses from MF on our dslrs.

a few months back, leica announced an adapter to use H mount lenses on their S2. that way you can have the best of both worlds with the S2...if you have any H lenses, that is.

im not sure how it all works, but the phase one camera can run dual shutters and the leica was designed to do the same, but their own leaf shutters have been MIA for a while. leica actually reverse engineered the adapter to fully integrate into the S system. neat deal and i would totally love something like that

derek.fulmer wrote:
From what I understand the 1/250 sync speed has been around for a while. Is this regarded as a negative by working pros/enthusiasts? Is it a good thing or just "the way it is" and no one really thinks about it much?

Well I'm used to a medium format camera with 1/1000 sync so 1/250 is quite a downgrade. It's important for people shooting with a mixture of ambient and flash light.

StevenPalowsky wrote:
im not sure how it all works, but the phase one camera can run dual shutters and the leica was designed to do the same, but their own leaf shutters have been MIA for a while. leica actually reverse engineered the adapter to fully integrate into the S system. neat deal and i would totally love something like that

I imagine it's a very simple matter of telling the camera which shutter to use, and keeping the other shutter open.